I can't get no satisfaction
Notes
Transcript
Why does it seem like we are always in search for more?
Why does it seem like we are always in search for more?
Do anyone know this song, play song “I can’t get no satisfaction
Do anyone know this song, play song “I can’t get no satisfaction
And talk about this slice of Ecclesiastes is about SATISFACTION
Lets first Define the biblical definition of Satisfaction
Ask the Audience?
The biblical definition of satisfied in the Hebrew is be full, complete
in the Greek its translated, to be full or to be filled
In the Hebrew the opposite of “satisfied“ FULL is “unsatisfied” or EMPTY
Although Ecclesiastes references an old man as the Preacher or Teacher, many believe it was Solomon, the son of David, who wrote the book. If that is indeed the case, who better to test the boundaries of satisfaction? He was wealthier than any king before him in Israel and considered the wisest man on earth. If he couldn't attain satisfaction, then who can?
What made Solomon special:
In 1 Chr 22:9, Solomon’s name is said to have derived from שָׁלוֹם (shalom), translated as “peace.” However, this is not mentioned in the account of Solomon’s birth in 2 Sam. Solomon’s name may have derived instead from שִׁלֵּם (shillem), meaning “to replace, restore,” Bathseba first child to DAVID that was lost.
Two very important things happen 1 King 3
ONE he married Pharaohs daughter
English Standard Version Chapter 3
Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the LORD and the wall around Jerusalem.
And Secondly he had a DREAM from GOD
7 And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?
English Standard Version (Chapter 3)
It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. 13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. 14 And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
Because Solomon humbly asked God to help him rule GODS people! It pleased GOD
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (1 Ki 3:7–9). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
Last week, we discussed how we often can't remember people and what they did, even those from just two generations back. However, what we do know about history is that it is highly likely that our grandparents and great-grandparents worked harder and longer than we do today, yet earned significantly less. The question then arises: Were they more satisfied? That is debatable, but it is a common sentiment to hear, "I wanted my children to be better off than I was."
It would seem throughout history man has struggled to be satisfied or as the Hebrew and greek defines it to “Be Full”
In these passage, the Preacher (believed to be Solomon) reflects on his pursuit of pleasure and the futility he finds in it
I said in my heart, 'Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.' But behold, this also was vanity. I said of laughter, 'It is mad,' and of pleasure, 'What use is it?' I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life." (Ecclesiastes 2:1-3)
Ecclesiastes 2:9–11 “So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.”
Discuss how its funny even having pleasure requires effort. Talk about working hard to make enough money to go on vacation, buy stuff etc.
Did you know our original parents didn’t need a vacation or more simply to vacate their current circumstances to enjoy life more.
Our original parents didn’t actually have to work, they actually ruled, (judged or dominion) God wanted Adam to rule like he did to judge not to be ruled.
Genesis 1:27-1:31 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”
Ask the question what separates us from the rest of creation?
IMAGE OF GOD A phrase found several times in the book of Genesis (Gen 1:7–27; 5:1–3; 9:6). Distinguishes humankind from the animal and plant kingdoms. Elevates humankind above all terrestrial created things so as to exercise benevolent and ethical stewardship over creation.
Elaborate on this word DOMINION which comes the root to CONTROL in the Hebrew or to RULE or JUDGE
“And God saw that it was good”
And then, everything changed.
And then, everything changed.
Genesis 3:8 “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.”
The natural connotation, to me, is that God often did this, perhaps daily “in the cool of the day,” but what was remarkable this time was that man was afraid, because he had sinned.
That God would withhold his presence before they sinned, but then come down among them only after they sinned, seems counter to the biblical teaching of God drawing near to the righteous and drawing back from the unrighteous.
The Fall
The Fall
The judgment of Adam and Eve refers to the consequences they faced after disobeying God's command in the Garden of Eden. According to the biblical account in the Book of Genesis, Adam and Eve were created by God and placed in the Garden of Eden, where they were given dominion over all creation. They were allowed to eat from any tree in the garden except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
However, tempted by the serpent, Eve ate the forbidden fruit from the tree and also gave some to Adam, who willingly ate it as well. As a result of their disobedience, they became aware of their nakedness and felt shame. They tried to hide from God, but God called out to them and confronted them about their actions.
God pronounced several judgments upon Adam and Eve as consequences for their disobedience. These judgments included:
The Man: God cursed the ground because of Adam's sin, making it harder for him to cultivate it. He declared that Adam would have to toil and sweat to produce food, and in the end, he would return to the dust from which he was made.
Contrast it to to work and TOIL after the fall.
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY
GOD expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, preventing them from accessing the tree of life and ensuring that they could not live forever in their fallen state.
The judgment of Adam and Eve serves as a pivotal moment in the biblical narrative, representing the introduction of sin and its consequences into the world. It also highlights humanity's need for redemption and the eventual promise of salvation through Jesus Christ.
Sin separated us from GOD
Sin separated us from GOD
SIN destroyed the warm satisfying fully present nature of GOD and US and left a vacuum, a void.
I'm going to partially and incompletely quote a passage, and I want you to consider its truthfulness and reflect on your emotions. Please focus on the partial aspect for now, and we can delve into the complete passage later.
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.
Colossians 1:21 “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,”
The greatest Tragedy of the fall was that we were longer able to be what we were created for and that was to be with GOD. We were created to make him our primary focus, our satisfaction! our peace
Use this reference to explore how incompleteness leads to unsatisfying and incomplete outcomes
EMPTY the opposite of full
EMPTY the opposite of full
Discuss the concept of empty and how we often attempt to fill that emptiness. It is important to recognize that apart from God, these efforts are ultimately futile. We are designed to find true satisfaction only in Him.
For instance, consider various examples such as entertainment, materialism, extreme sports, or, unfortunately, drug use and alcohol abuse. These are manifestations of our constant longing to fill the void in our hearts with something to replace the original perfect thing: God's presence
The Tesla
The Tesla
In his brand-new Tesla, the man embarked on a journey, driving to various scenic spots. However, as he explored, he couldn't find anything truly exciting. Despite the familiarity of these places, he still enjoyed the experience of being in the Tesla, relishing the smooth ride.
As he continued his adventure, a sudden realization struck him—his electric vehicle's charge was running dangerously low. Fueled by the desire to discover that elusive perfect sight he had yet to see, he made the decision to recharge the vehicle so he could continue his search for the ideal spot and capture the perfect photo of himself with his new car. Just as he pulled into the gas station, however, his battery died.
Talk About Apples “ONE MORE THING”
Here is Satisfaction
Here is Satisfaction
Our only natural solution to be unsatisfied is through a spiritual oneness with GOD
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment.
Matthew 22:37-38 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.
1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
So lets go back to incomplete quote in Colossians 1:15-22 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,”
In closing that incompleteness, apart from Christ, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, will always have us looking for completeness in all the wrong places. These are places that can never satisfy. A Tesla was made to use electricity; forget about finding the perfect spot and instead enjoy the journey with your true and perfect satisfier. Only in Christ can our real identity and purpose be realized and satisfied. That's why our wise friend said in the end...